Mon Dec 03, 2012 at 16:50:39 PM EST

We are seeing it now. The culmination of decades of Republicans "starving the beast" in order to do one thing. Be able to cry wolf about time-honored government programs causing huge deficits driving up our debt so that they can begin the process of phasing out and eventually eliminating Social Security and Medicare. The worst thing possible Democrats and grassroots Americans can do is let them.

It is bad enough that Republicans refuse to do the will of the American people and raise tax rates back to Clinton era levels for wealthy Americans. One look at any of the information available from the last thirty years shows that in this time wealth at the very top has skyrocketed. At that same time poverty has increased, wages have decreased and the middle-class has shrunk.

One group of a very few folks have seen all the income gains and prosperity in that time. They have horded our nation's treasure to themselves and left 98% of us in the cold. These are the very folks who crashed our economy with their greed and were bailed out, essentially providing them with no risk investments working Americans paid for twice. There is nothing wrong now that the bubble they aired up burst for them to pay for the cleanup.

These are the very folks Republicans are lining up to defend. They expect working Americans to sacrifice once more and are holding their tax cuts hostage for those for the very rich. Worse yet, they are using the ending of these failed tax cuts to justify stripping away the Social safety net Americans work for and deserve.

Lindsey Graham spewed their pathetic talking point:

This ridiculous quote shows that no lie is too big for them to spew like gospel:

"This offer doesn't remotely deal with entitlement reform in a way to save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security from imminent bankruptcy. It raises $1.6 trillion on job creators that will destroy the economy and there are no spending controls," he added.

First I will say this once again. I challenge any Republican anywhere to tell us if these tax cuts for the rich are so good, create so many jobs and do so much good for the economy where the hell is it?? These breaks have been in effect for over a decade and what have they done? They have COST millions of jobs and destroyed our economy as the wealthy refused to hire, refused to invest and merely tucked the money away. In other words, it never "trickled-down".

Lindsey Graham and Republicans everywhere can lie through their selfish teeth to you as much as they want but their goal is simple. They want to gut Medicare and phase it out along with Social Security. They want to raise the retirement age again and again so eventually young Americans will not make it to the system.

And lie as they may the truth remains. Social Security is solvent, can pay full benefits for decades, runs surpluses on a regular basis and has never contributed a penny to the national debt:

"The trustees' report found that Social Security's surplus will be $69.3 billion in 2011. Those who say that Social Security is in deficit this year are flat wrong," said Nancy Altman, Co-Chair of the Strengthen Social Security Campaign. "By law, Social Security cannot deficit-spend and cannot borrow, so it is obvious that Social Security cannot add a penny to the federal deficit."

"The trustees' report states that Social Security will be able to pay all benefits for the next quarter century, even without congressional action. Bottom line, Social Security works," said Eric Kingson, Co-Chair of the Strengthen Social Security Campaign. "Even in a bad economy, Americans continue to receive the full benefits they have earned for themselves and their families. The trustees report makes clear there is no reason to cut benefits-not for today's seniors; not for any generation.

And while there is a long-range funding gap in Social Security it is not even close to a crisis and can be very easily solved with common sense:

The Trustees Report reminds us that lawmakers do need to address Social Security's long-range funding gap but there is no need for haste. Even if Congress does nothing to address the projected shortfall, the program can pay all promised benefits for the next quarter century, and thereafter 77 percent of benefits through 2084. Moreover, considering Social Security at the same time as the deficit debate risks reinforcing the widespread perception that the government is illegally commingling Social Security's dedicated revenue with general fund revenues and stealing the contributions of hardworking Americans. Social Security should be considered in the sunshine after the current deficit debate is concluded and after the federal debt limit has been increased.

This long-range funding gap can be closed relatively painlessly by scrapping the payroll tax cap. Congress could raise the Social Security tax cap so that the 6 percent of the population that makes more than $106,800 a year pays taxes on all of their wages just like everyone else who makes less than that amount has to do. This will guarantee that full Social Security benefits can be paid for the next 75 years and beyond.

And while Medicare has seen its costs go up and will see them go up further in the future what folks like Graham do not want you to know is that is just a symptom of the greater disease, a disease that has spread through our whole healthcare system:

The Trustees Report reminds us that lawmakers do need to address Social Security's long-range funding gap but there is no need for haste. Even if Congress does nothing to address the projected shortfall, the program can pay all promised benefits for the next quarter century, and thereafter 77 percent of benefits through 2084. Moreover, considering Social Security at the same time as the deficit debate risks reinforcing the widespread perception that the government is illegally commingling Social Security's dedicated revenue with general fund revenues and stealing the contributions of hardworking Americans. Social Security should be considered in the sunshine after the current deficit debate is concluded and after the federal debt limit has been increased.
This long-range funding gap can be closed relatively painlessly by scrapping the payroll tax cap. Congress could raise the Social Security tax cap so that the 6 percent of the population that makes more than $106,800 a year pays taxes on all of their wages just like everyone else who makes less than that amount has to do. This will guarantee that full Social Security benefits can be paid for the next 75 years and beyond.

Yes, the fact is that Medicare actually controls costs better than the private insurers Repubicans so religiously defend. In fact, Republicans are lining up against the American people at every turn and fully expect us to allow them to keep their tax cuts and gut our social safety net.

That is why they need to hear from us. Their continuing class war against us will never be over until they have horded whats left of our nation's treasure to themselves. Along the way they hope to slash Medicare and steal Social Security from generations of Americans born after 1958.

Evidently Republicans do not care about elections or the will of the American people. They heard your voices, they just did not care. They will settle for nothing less than stealing what is left of the American dream from you. No matter who your Congressmen and Senators are now is the time to let them know we will not allow them to balance the budget on the backs of good, honest, hardworking Americans who just want a fair shake once again.